Systems and methods for personalizing qr codes

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to select a code. An image on which the code is superimposed is selected. A block of the code is associated with a corresponding part of the image. A desired value of opacity of the block of the code is determined based on the corresponding part of the image. A personalized code is generated based on the desired value of opacity of the block of the code.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/169,483, filed on May 31, 2016 and entitled “SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS FOR PERSONALIZING QR CODES,” which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/687,350 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,390,358),filed on Apr. 15, 2015 and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FORPERSONALIZING QR CODES.” Both U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/169,483 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/687,350 areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to the field of content provision. Moreparticularly, the present technology relates to techniques forgenerating codes.

BACKGROUND

Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a widevariety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices, for example,to interact with one another, create content, and access content. Insome cases, a user can utilize his or her computing device to scan amachine-readable code, such as a Quick Response (QR) code. Themachine-readable code can provide the user with access to content, suchas a link or other information.

Conventional approaches to utilizing machine-readable codes generallyinvolve presenting a machine-readable code in one instance and thenreading (scanning) the machine-readable code in a separate instance.However, this manner of utilizing machine-readable codes in accordancewith conventional approaches can be suboptimal. For example,machine-readable codes are not fully comprehensible to persons andconvey little, if anything, about the information that they encode. Asanother example, the appearance of machine-readable codes can appear asrandom patterns. As a result, the presentation of machine-readable codescan be dull from the perspective of their intended audiences.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems,methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to selecta code. An image on which the code is superimposed is selected. A blockof the code is associated with a corresponding part of the image. Adesired value of opacity of the block of the code is determined based onthe corresponding part of the image. A personalized code is generatedbased on the desired value of opacity of the block of the code.

In an embodiment, the code is a QR code.

In an embodiment, the determining a desired value of opacity of theblock of the code is based on a value of luminance of pixels of thecorresponding part of the image.

In an embodiment, the determining a desired value of opacity of theblock of the code is based on a variance of values of luminance ofpixels of the corresponding part of the image.

In an embodiment, the determining a desired value of opacity of theblock of the code is based on a difference between average luminance ofpixels in the corresponding part of the image and average luminance ofpixels in a second part of the image adjacent to the corresponding partof the image.

In an embodiment, the desired value of opacity of the block of the codeis increased based on at least one of the block of the code being a moreimportant part of the code and the corresponding part of the image beinga less important part of the image.

In an embodiment, the desired value of opacity of the block of the codeis decreased based on at least one of the block of the code beingassociated with a less important part of the code and the correspondingpart of the image being a more important part of the image.

In an embodiment, desired values of opacity of a plurality of blocks ofthe code are determined based on corresponding parts of the image.

In an embodiment, the desired values of opacity of the plurality ofblocks of the code are adjusted so that the code can be read and theimage can be viewed.

In an embodiment, the personalized code is qualified based on areadability threshold.

It should be appreciated that many other features, applications,embodiments, and/or variations of the disclosed technology will beapparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detaileddescription. Additional and/or alternative implementations of thestructures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methodsdescribed herein can be employed without departing from the principlesof the disclosed technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system including an example code personalizationmodule, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example combination module, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example code and an example image,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate example graphs, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 4C-4E illustrate example personalized codes, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate an example method, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a network diagram of an example system that can beutilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a computer system that can be utilizedin various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology forpurposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like referencenumerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employedwithout departing from the principles of the disclosed technologydescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Personalizing QR Codes

People use computing devices (or systems) for various purposes.Computing devices can provide different kinds of functionality. Userscan utilize their computing devices to produce information, accessinformation, and share information. In some cases, users can use theircomputing devices to produce information which can be represented bymachine-readable codes, such as Quick Response (QR) codes. In someinstances, users can use their computing devices to read (scan)machine-readable codes in order to access information. Furthermore, insome cases, users can share information using machine-readable codes,which can be provided by computing devices.

Under conventional approaches, QR codes can be used to encode varioustypes of information. For example, QR codes have been used for parttracking in industrial applications and for navigation based on links tosites where information can be presented. The use of QR codes, whileeffective, can be subject to many disadvantages. For example, QR codesare not readable by persons. Persons who view the QR code can surmiselittle to nothing about the information encoded by the QR code.Therefore, the QR codes can fail to convey helpful data to persons thatrelates to their encoded information. As another example, QR codes arepatterned as seemingly random patches of black and white. They do notpique the interests of persons who view them.

An improved approach to the presentation of machine-readable codes, suchas QR codes, overcomes the foregoing and other disadvantages associatedwith conventional approaches. In general, systems and methods of thepresent disclosure can superimpose (overlay) a QR code onto an image togenerate a personalized QR code. The personalized QR code can reflectboth functional utility and aesthetic flair. The personalized QR codecan be generated based on adjustments to the opacity of portions of theQR code in consideration of a variety of factors. Such factors caninclude, for example, luminance of groups of pixels in the image,variance of luminance of groups of pixels in the image, and differencesin luminance between groups of pixels in the image. Further, the opacityof portions of the QR code can be adjusted based on the importance ofthe portions of the QR code and the importance of corresponding parts ofthe image. The personalized QR code can be produced in such a mannerthat the code reflected in the personalized code still can besuccessfully scanned by a code reader while the image reflected in thepersonalized code still can be clearly viewed by persons who view thepersonalized code.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 including an example codepersonalization module 102 to generate a machine-readable code that canbe personalized in its visual appearance, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. A machine-readable code (or code) can include,for example, a Quick Response (QR) code, a machine-readable barcode, amachine-readable tag, or other type of machine-readable code. Theappearance of the code can be personalized based on an image selected bya user. The image selected to personalize the code can depict any typeof content.

The code and the image can be combined to generate a personalized code.In particular, the code can be superimposed (i.e., overlaid) on theimage to produce the personalized code. The appearance of thepersonalized code can be based on adjustments to the opacity of portionsof the code in consideration of a variety of factors. Such factors caninclude, for example, luminance of groups of pixels in the image,variance of luminance of groups of pixels in the image, and differencesin luminance between groups of pixels in the image. Further, the opacityof portions of the code can be adjusted based on the importance of theportions of the code and the importance of corresponding parts of theimage. The personalized code can be generated to optimize bothreadability of the code and visibility of the image.

The code personalization module 102 can include an image acquisitionmodule 108, a code acquisition module 110, and a combination module 112.The components (e.g., modules, elements, etc.) shown in this figure andall figures herein are exemplary only, and other implementations mayinclude additional, fewer, integrated, or different components. Somecomponents may not be shown so as not to obscure relevant details.

In some embodiments, the code personalization module 102 can beimplemented, in part or in whole, as software, hardware, or anycombination thereof. In general, a module as discussed herein can beassociated with software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In someimplementations, one or more functions, tasks, and/or operations ofmodules can be carried out or performed by software routines, softwareprocesses, hardware, and/or any combination thereof. In some cases, thecode personalization module 102 can be implemented, in part or in whole,as software running on one or more computing devices or systems, such ason a server or client computing device. For example, the codepersonalization module 102 can be implemented as or within anapplication (e.g., app), a program, or an applet, etc., running on auser computing device or client computing system. In some instances, thecode personalization module 102 can, in part or in whole, be implementedwithin or configured to operate in conjunction with a social networkingsystem (or service), such as the social networking system 630 of FIG. 6.It should be understood that many variations are possible.

The image acquisition module 108 can acquire an image to personalize thecode. The image can be selected by a user. In some embodiments, the usercan select an image that is a suitable match with the code or theinformation associated with the code. For example, if the code reflectsan address or identifier of certain information, the user can select animage with a nexus to the information. In this way, the image can conveyto a person who views the image some level of understanding about theinformation encoded by the code. As another example, if the codereflects an address or identifier of a page of the user in a socialnetworking system, the user can select an image that is personallyfavored by the user, an image that functions as a profile image of theuser, an image representative of the page of the user, an image thatreflects the personal interests of the user, etc. Any other types ofimages can be used to personalize the code. In some embodiments,entities other than the user, such as a connection of the user or asocial networking system, can select the image to personalize the code.

The code acquisition module 110 can request generation of a code. Thecode acquisition module 110 can be configured to facilitate acquisitionof a machine-readable code that represents, links to, or is otherwiseassociated with information to which access is provided through thecode. For example, the user can provide an address or identifier (e.g.,a link to a profile page of a member of a social networking system) forthe information (e.g., profile data about a member of a socialnetworking system). The code acquisition module 110 can obtain a codethat is generated based on the address or the identifier associated withthe information. The generation of the code can be performed by anothermodule of the code personalization module 102 or by another system thatis not shown. After generation of the code, the code can be presented tothe user so that the user can provide the code to be scanned by anotheruser. Upon scanning the machine-readable code, a computing device orsystem of the other user can provide or transmit the code for processingso that the other user can access the encoded information. In someembodiments, the generated code can be provided to the combinationmodule 112 for personalization.

The combination module 112 can combine the code and a selected imageassociated with the code to produce a personalized code. The code can besuperimposed on the image so that the code still can be successfullyscanned and the image still can be visually discerned by persons whoview the personalized code. Blocks of the code can be matched withcorresponding groups of pixels in the image on which the blocks aresuperimposed. The opacity of the blocks of the code can be determinedand varied to optimize both the readability of the code in thepersonalized code and the visual distinctiveness of the underlyingimage. The opacity of the blocks of the code to be superimposed on acorresponding group of pixels can be determined on a block by blockbasis.

For example, the combination module 112 can superimpose a block of thecode based on a gradient so that the opacity of a center portion of theblock of the code is higher than the opacity of outer portions of theblock of the code. In one instance, a Gaussian blur could be used. Asanother example, the opacity of a block of the code can be variedaccording to luminance of a corresponding group of pixels, variance ofthe luminance of a corresponding group of pixels, and a difference inluminance between adjacent groups of pixels. As yet another example, theopacity of the blocks of the code can be reduced and the relativepositions of the code and the image can be varied so that the mostvisually important portions of the image can be appear more prominently.After its generation, the personalized code can be subjected to areadability evaluation to ensure that the code can be successfullyscanned. The combination module 112 is discussed in more detail inconnection with FIG. 2.

The data store 118 can be configured to store and maintain various typesof data, such as the data relating to the generation of personalizedcodes. The data can include data relating to, for example, links tocontent or other information, codes encoding the links and otherinformation, images, the association between codes and images selectedfor combination with the codes, luminance related parameters associatedwith images, desired distributions of opacity in relation to theluminance related parameters, etc. The data store 118 can also maintainother information associated with the social networking system. Theinformation associated with the social networking system can includedata about users, social connections, social interactions, locations,geo-fenced areas, maps, places, events, groups, posts, communications,content, account settings, privacy settings, and a social graph. Thesocial graph can reflect all entities of the social networking systemand their interactions. As shown in the example system 100, the codepersonalization module 102 can be configured to communicate and/oroperate with the data store 118.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example combination module 202, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, thecombination module 1112 of FIG. 1 can be implemented with thecombination module 202. As shown in the example of FIG. 2, thecombination module 202 can include a matching module 204, a gradientmodule 206, a luminance module 208, a saliency module 210, and areadability module 212. The combination module 202 can selectivelymodify a code superimposed on an image to generate a personalized codeso that the code can be scanned by a code reader and the image isviewable to persons. In various embodiments, one or more of thefunctionalities described in connection with the combination module 202can be implemented in any suitable combinations.

The matching module 204 can obtain a code and an image on which the codeis to be superimposed and can align the code over the image. FIG. 3Ashows an example code 302 and an example image 304 from which apersonalized code is to be generated. The code 302 is to be aligned withand superimposed on the image 304. FIG. 3B shows alignment of the code302 on the image 304. The matching module 204 can perform the alignmentbased on one or more of the centers of the image and the code, cornersof the image and the code, boundaries of the image and the code, etc.

In connection with FIG. 2, the matching module 204 can match elements ofthe code with corresponding underlying parts of the image. An element ofthe code can include any portion (e.g., square, bit, etc.) of the codeof any size. For example, an element of the code can be a block of thecode. As another example, an element of the code can be a portion of thecode that is larger or smaller than a block of the code. Although theexample of a block of code is discussed herein in connection with manyembodiments of the present disclosure, any element can be used instead.Based on alignment of the code superimposed on the image, a block ofcode can correspond to a part of the image. A part of the image caninclude pixels of the image on which a block of code is superimposed. Insome embodiments, the matching module 204 can define or apply a commoncoordinate system or other position determination functionality to matcha block of code with a corresponding part of the image. For example, thecommon coordinate system can identify correspondence between aparticular block of code and a corresponding part of the image based onidentical positions of the block of code and the part of the image.

The gradient module 206 can alter the appearance of some or all blocksof the code. The appearance of a block of code superimposed on acorresponding part of an image can be adjusted to optimize both theability to scan the code and the ability to view the image. Inparticular, the gradient module 206 can adjust the appearance of a blockof code based on a gradient of opacity. When the opacity of the block ofthe code is adjusted by the gradient, a center portion of the block ofcode can have a relatively high opacity and outer portions of the blockof code can have relatively low opacity. The center portion of the blockof code can be any shape or form, such as a point, a circle, a square,etc. The gradient of opacity can be linear or nonlinear. When theappearance of the block of code is adjusted by a gradient of opacity,the center portion of the block of code can allow for the ability tosuccessfully scan the code while the outer portion of the block of codecan allow for the ability to view a substantial portion of thecorresponding part of the image.

In some embodiments, the parts of the code can be altered in shape. Forexample, alignment markers of the code can be shaped as rectangles orrounded rectangles. As another example, alignment markers of the codecan be shaped as circles instead of rectangles or rounded rectangles.The opacity of alignment markers can be based on a gradient.

Like the gradient module 206, the luminance module 208 can alter theappearance of some or all blocks of the code. The opacity of a block ofcode superimposed on a corresponding part of an image can be adjusted tooptimize both the ability to scan the code and the ability to view theimage. A desired value of the opacity of a block of code can depend onmany considerations. Such considerations can include, for example, avalue of luminance of pixels in a corresponding part of the image, avalue of variance in luminance of pixels in a corresponding part of theimage, and a difference in values of luminance of pixels in adjacentparts of the image.

A desired value of the opacity of a block of code can depend on a valueof luminance of pixels in a corresponding part of the image. The valueof the luminance of the pixels can be represented over a luminanceregion (or spectrum). In some embodiments, the luminance region can bedefined at one end by a value of black to represent a lowest value ofluminance and at an opposite end by a value of white to represent ahighest value of luminance. The lowest value of luminance and thehighest value of luminance can be numerically represented. For example,the lowest value of luminance can be assigned a value of zero and thehighest value of luminance can be assigned a value of one.

The desired value of the opacity of a block of code, which can berepresented by a variable alpha, can be a function of a value ofluminance. The desired value of the opacity of a block of code can berepresented over a region (or spectrum). In some embodiments, the regioncan be defined at one end by a lowest value of zero and at an oppositeend by a highest value of one. When alpha is equal to a highest value ofopacity (e.g., one), the block of code is fully opaque and the pixels inthe corresponding part of the image cannot be seen. When alpha is equalto a lowest value of opacity (e.g., zero), the block of code is fullynot opaque (or transparent) and the block of code cannot be seen whilethe pixels in the corresponding part of the image can be seen.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example graph 400 that shows a desired value ofopacity, alpha, as a function of luminance when a block of code tosuperimpose over pixels of a corresponding part of an image is black.When the block of code is black and underlying pixels of thecorresponding part of the image have a relatively low value ofluminance, the desired value of opacity can be a value within arelatively large range of possible opacity values. When the block ofcode is black and underlying pixels of the corresponding part of theimage have a relatively high value of luminance, the desired value ofopacity can be a value that is above a threshold level and within arelatively small range of possible opacity values. A region 402 in thegraph 400 represents a success region of alpha values that can be chosenfor values of luminance so that both the code can be scanned by a codereader and the image can be viewed by persons. A line 404 representspotentially optimal values of alpha. The optimal values of alpha arelarger than minimum values of alpha in the region 404 by a safetythreshold. The optimal values of alpha allow the block of code to be astransparent as possible so that the image can be viewed while at thesame time a measure of safety is provided so that the code still can besuccessfully scanned.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example graph 410 that shows a desired value ofopacity, alpha, as a function of luminance when a block of code tosuperimpose over pixels of a corresponding part of an image is white.When the block of code is white and underlying pixels of thecorresponding part of the image have a relatively low value ofluminance, the desired value of opacity can be a value that is above athreshold level and within a relatively small range of possible opacityvalues. When the block of code is white and underlying pixels of thecorresponding part of the image have a relatively high value ofluminance, the desired value of opacity can be a value within arelatively large range of possible opacity values. A region 412 in thegraph 410 represents a success region of alpha values that can be chosenfor values of luminance so that both the code can be scanned by a codereader and the image can be viewed by persons. A line 414 representspotentially optimal values of alpha. The optimal values of alpha arelarger than minimum values of alpha in the region 412 by a safetythreshold. The optimal values of alpha allow the block of code to be astransparent as possible so that the image can be viewed while at thesame time a measure of safety is provided so that the code still can besuccessfully scanned. Although the graph 400 and the graph 410 are shownas having an example slope value, the relationship between alpha andluminance can reflect other slope values in various embodiments.Further, although the graph 400 and the graph 410 are shown as linear,the relationship between alpha and luminance can be nonlinear in otherembodiments.

A desired value of the opacity of a block of code also can depend on avalue of variance (e.g., standard deviation) of luminance of pixels in acorresponding part of the image. A value of opacity of a block of codebased on an average value of luminance of the pixels in a correspondingpart of the image when there is variance of luminance of the pixels maynot be optimal to allow for both scanning of the code and viewing of theimage. When the luminance of pixels in a corresponding part of the imagevaries, a higher value of opacity of a block of code can be desired. Forexample, as the variance of the luminance of pixels in a correspondingpart of the image increases, the desired value of opacity of a block ofcode can increase. In some embodiments, a desired value of opacity for ablock of code can be a function of the variance of luminance of pixelsin a corresponding part of the image. In some instances, the functioncan be linear or nonlinear.

A desired value of the opacity of a block of code also can depend on thedifference between average luminance of pixels in adjacent parts of theimage. When the average luminance of pixels in a first part of the imageis a relatively high value and the average luminance of pixels in asecond part of the image adjacent to the first part of the image is arelatively low value, higher values of opacity for associated blocks ofcode can be desired. For example, as the difference between the averageluminance of pixels in a first part of the image and the averageluminance of pixels in an adjacent second part of the image increases,the desired values of opacity of the two associated blocks of code canincrease. In some embodiments, a desired value of opacity for a block ofcode can be a function of the difference in average luminance incorresponding part of the image and an adjacent part of the image. Insome instances, the function can be linear or nonlinear.

In some embodiments, each block of code can have more than one tone. Forexample, each block of code can have two tones in a two-toned version ofa personalized code. In a two-toned version of a personalized code, aforeground tone located in the center of the block of code can beassociated with a foreground alpha value and a background tone locatedoutside of the center of the block of code can be associated with abackground alpha value. FIGS. 4C-4E show examples of two-toned versionsof personalized codes and, in particular, personalized code 450 in FIG.4C, personalized code 460 in FIG. 4D, and personalized code 470 in FIG.4E. Each block of code in the personalized codes 450, 460, 470 is twotoned. For example, a block of code 452 in the personalized code 450includes a foreground tone that appears as a disc centered in the blockand a background tone that appears between the boundaries of the discand the block. In various embodiments, the appearance of the foregroundtone and the background tone can take any suitable shape or size.

Example alpha values can be used when black is superimposed inconnection with a two-toned personalized code. When luminance is equalto zero (black luminance) for superimposition of black, a foregroundalpha value can be set such that alpha0=0.4*0.2=0.08. When luminance isequal to one (white luminance) for superimposition of black, aforeground alpha value can be set such that alpha1=0.4. When luminanceis equal to zero (black luminance) for superimposition of black, abackground alpha value can be set such that alpha0=0.2*0.2=0.04. Whenluminance is equal to one (white luminance) for superimposition ofblack, a background alpha value can be set such that alpha1=0.2. Ingeneral, a value of alpha can be determined by the equationalpha=luminance*alpha1+(1−luminance)*alpha0, where luminance is the meanluminance of pixels over which black is being superimposed. Othersuitable foreground and background values of alph0 and alpha1 and otherequations to determine the value of alpha can be used in otherembodiments.

Example alpha values can be used when white is superimposed inconnection with a two-toned personalized code. When luminance is equalto zero (black luminance) for superimposition of white, a foregroundalpha value can be set such that alpha0=0.5. When luminance is equal toone (white luminance) for superimposition of white, a foreground alphavalue can be set such that alpha1=0.5*0.2=0.1. When luminance is equalto zero (black luminance) for superimposition of white, a backgroundalpha value can be set such that alpha0=0.32. When luminance is equal toone (white luminance) for superimposition of white, a background alphavalue can be set such that alpha1=0.32*0.2=0.064. In general, a value ofalpha can be determined by the equationalpha=luminance*alpha1+(1−luminance)*alpha0 where luminance is the meanluminance of pixels over which white is being superimposed. Othersuitable foreground and background values of alph0 and alpha1 and otherequations to determine the value of alpha can be used in otherembodiments.

In some embodiments, alpha values can be further modified by a value ofintensity. The intensity is calculated for each pixel region and it isthe maximum absolute difference in mean luminance between its pixels andthe mean luminance of the adjacent pixel regions. The standard deviationof the luminance of the pixels in a region can be rescaled to be between0 and 1 if multiplied by 2 since the maximum standard deviation is 0.5.The final intensity value is the maximum of this rescaled standarddeviation and the above intensity value. An intensity value of 0 givesthe alpha values set forth above and is used over areas of uniformitywhere it is easier for the code to be read since the image pixels arenot interfering with the code. An intensity value of 1 is an area wherethe underlying pixels and/or adjacent pixels are varied. The intensityvalues only affect the foreground alpha values. This calculation of theintensity allows alteration of the alpha values of the block of codebased on both the variance (standard deviation) of the underlying pixelsand the differences in luminance between the adjacent regions.

For example, to superimpose black, foreground alpha values can be setsuch that alpha0=0.4*0.2+(0.75−0.4*0.2)*intensity andalpha1=0.4+0.6*intensity, while background alpha values can be set suchthat alpha0=0.2*0.2=0.04 and alpha1=0.2. For example, to superimposewhite, foreground alpha values can be set such thatalpha0=0.5+0.5*intensity and alpha1=0.5*0.2+(0.75−0.5*0.2)*intensity,while background alpha values can be set such that alpha0=0.32 andalpha1=0.32*0.2=0.064. Again, other suitable foreground and backgroundvalues of alph0 and alpha1 can be used in other embodiments.

The saliency module 210 can selectively adjust the opacity of a block ofcode based on importance of parts of the code. The saliency module 210can identify blocks of code that are relatively more important forproper scanning of the code. Blocks of code that are relatively moreimportant can include portions of the code that relate to, for example,timing, alignment, version information, format information, the quietzone, etc. For blocks of code that are relatively more important, thesaliency module 210 can maintain or increase the opacity of the blocksof code to optimize the ability to scan the blocks. The saliency module210 also can identify blocks of code that are relatively less importantfor proper scanning of the code. Blocks of code that are relatively lessimportant can include portions of the code that are associated with, forexample, an error correction region of the code. For blocks of code thatare relatively less important, the saliency module 210 can maintain ordecrease the opacity of the blocks of code to optimize the ability toview the image. In some embodiments, an administrator of a socialnetworking system or a user who selected the image can determine blocksof code that are more important and blocks of code that are lessimportant.

The saliency module 210 can selectively adjust the opacity of a block ofcode based on importance of part of an image. The saliency module 210can identify parts of an image that are relatively more important formeaningfully viewing the image. The parts of an image that arerelatively more important can include, for example, faces in an image,primary subject matter in the image, other objects in the image, thecenter of the image, etc. For blocks of code associated with the partsof an image that are relatively more important, the saliency module 210can decrease the opacity of the blocks of code to optimize the abilityof persons to view the parts of the image. Further, when the blocks ofcode associated with parts of an image that are relatively moreimportant are included in error correction regions of the code, thesaliency module 210 can further decrease the opacity of the blocksbecause, even if some of the blocks are not readable, the code still canbe readable. The saliency module 210 can identify parts of an image thatare relatively less important for meaningfully viewing the image. Theparts of an image that are relatively less important can include, forexample, objects positioned along edges of the image. For blocks of codeassociated with the parts of an image that are relatively lessimportant, the saliency module 210 can increase the opacity of theblocks of code to optimize the readability of the code. In someembodiments, an administrator of a social networking system or a userwho selected the image can determine parts of an image that are moreimportant and parts of an image that are less important.

The saliency module 210 also can adjust the relative position of a codeand an image on which the code is superimposed. For example, therelative position of the code and the image can be adjusted so that theparts of the image that are relatively more important are positionedunder blocks of the code that are relatively less important. As aresult, the saliency module 210 can decrease the opacity of the blocksof the code that are relatively less important to optimize thevisibility of the parts of the image. As another example, the relativeposition of the code and the image can be adjusted so that parts of theimage that are relatively less important are positioned under blocks ofthe code that are relatively more important. As a result, the saliencymodule 210 can increase the opacity of the blocks of code that arerelatively more important to optimize the readability of the blocks ofcode.

The readability module 212 can assess readability of generatedpersonalized codes. The readability module 212 can determine whetheradjustments to a code in the generation of a personalized code haveimpacted the readability of the code. In some embodiments, thereadability module 212 can qualify a generated personalized code basedon a readability threshold. For example, a readability threshold can bea required percentage of successful attempts to read the personalizedcode. A readability threshold can require that, for example, a certainnumber of attempts out of 100 attempts to read the code result insuccessful reading of the code. The readability threshold can beselected by an administrator of a system that implements the codepersonalization module 102, such as a social networking system.

If a generated personalized code satisfies the readability threshold,the personalized code can be presented to the user and to other membersof the social networking system who may be prompted to read and view thepersonalized code. If a generated personalized code does not satisfy thereadability threshold, the combination module 202 can selectivelyincrease values of opacity of blocks of code to generate a newpersonalized code. The readability threshold then can be applied to thenew personalized code. The process can continue until a generatedpersonalized code satisfies the readability threshold. In someembodiments, the readability module 212 can apply minimum thresholdvalues of opacity to blocks of code to ensure that, no matter thefunctionality of the combination module 202 utilized to generate thepersonalized code, the personalized code can be successfully read.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate an example method 500, according to an embodimentof the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that there can beadditional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar oralternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the variousembodiments unless otherwise stated.

At block 502, the method 500 can select a code. At block 504, the method500 can select an image on which the code is superimposed. At block 506,the method 500 can associate a block of the code with a correspondingpart of the image. At block 508, the method 500 can determine a desiredvalue of opacity of the block of the code based on the correspondingpart of the image. At block 510, the method 500 can decrease the desiredvalue of opacity of the block of the code based on at least one of theblock of the code being associated with a less important part of thecode and the corresponding part of the image being a more important partof the image. At block 512, the method 500 can generate a personalizedcode based on the desired value of opacity of the block of the code. Atblock 514, the method 500 can qualify the personalized code based on areadability threshold. Other suitable techniques are possible.

Social Networking System—Example Implementation

FIG. 6 illustrates a network diagram of an example system 600 that canbe utilized in various scenarios, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The system 600 includes one or more user devices610, one or more external systems 620, a social networking system (orservice) 630, and a network 650. In an embodiment, the social networkingservice, provider, and/or system discussed in connection with theembodiments described above may be implemented as the social networkingsystem 630. For purposes of illustration, the embodiment of the system600, shown by FIG. 6, includes a single external system 620 and a singleuser device 610. However, in other embodiments, the system 600 mayinclude more user devices 610 and/or more external systems 620. Incertain embodiments, the social networking system 630 is operated by asocial network provider, whereas the external systems 620 are separatefrom the social networking system 630 in that they may be operated bydifferent entities. In various embodiments, however, the socialnetworking system 630 and the external systems 620 operate inconjunction to provide social networking services to users (or members)of the social networking system 630. In this sense, the socialnetworking system 630 provides a platform or backbone, which othersystems, such as external systems 620, may use to provide socialnetworking services and functionalities to users across the Internet.

The user device 610 comprises one or more computing devices that canreceive input from a user and transmit and receive data via the network650. In one embodiment, the user device 610 is a conventional computersystem executing, for example, a Microsoft Windows compatible operatingsystem (OS), Apple OS X, and/or a Linux distribution. In anotherembodiment, the user device 610 can be a device having computerfunctionality, such as a smart-phone, a tablet, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, etc. The user device 610 isconfigured to communicate via the network 650. The user device 610 canexecute an application, for example, a browser application that allows auser of the user device 610 to interact with the social networkingsystem 630. In another embodiment, the user device 610 interacts withthe social networking system 630 through an application programminginterface (API) provided by the native operating system of the userdevice 610, such as iOS and ANDROID. The user device 610 is configuredto communicate with the external system 620 and the social networkingsystem 630 via the network 650, which may comprise any combination oflocal area and/or wide area networks, using wired and/or wirelesscommunication systems.

In one embodiment, the network 650 uses standard communicationstechnologies and protocols. Thus, the network 650 can include linksusing technologies such as Ethernet, 702.11, worldwide interoperabilityfor microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE, digital subscriberline (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on the network650 can include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), transmissioncontrol protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol(UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transferprotocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and the like. The dataexchanged over the network 650 can be represented using technologiesand/or formats including hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensiblemarkup language (XML). In addition, all or some links can be encryptedusing conventional encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer(SSL), transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol security(IPsec).

In one embodiment, the user device 610 may display content from theexternal system 620 and/or from the social networking system 630 byprocessing a markup language document 614 received from the externalsystem 620 and from the social networking system 630 using a browserapplication 612. The markup language document 614 identifies content andone or more instructions describing formatting or presentation of thecontent. By executing the instructions included in the markup languagedocument 614, the browser application 612 displays the identifiedcontent using the format or presentation described by the markuplanguage document 614. For example, the markup language document 614includes instructions for generating and displaying a web page havingmultiple frames that include text and/or image data retrieved from theexternal system 620 and the social networking system 630. In variousembodiments, the markup language document 614 comprises a data fileincluding extensible markup language (XML) data, extensible hypertextmarkup language (XHTML) data, or other markup language data.Additionally, the markup language document 614 may include JavaScriptObject Notation (JSON) data, JSON with padding (JSONP), and JavaScriptdata to facilitate data-interchange between the external system 620 andthe user device 610. The browser application 612 on the user device 610may use a JavaScript compiler to decode the markup language document614.

The markup language document 614 may also include, or link to,applications or application frameworks such as FLASH™ or Unity™applications, the SilverLight™ application framework, etc.

In one embodiment, the user device 610 also includes one or more cookies616 including data indicating whether a user of the user device 610 islogged into the social networking system 630, which may enablemodification of the data communicated from the social networking system630 to the user device 610.

The external system 620 includes one or more web servers that includeone or more web pages 622 a, 622 b, which are communicated to the userdevice 610 using the network 650. The external system 620 is separatefrom the social networking system 630. For example, the external system620 is associated with a first domain, while the social networkingsystem 630 is associated with a separate social networking domain. Webpages 622 a, 622 b, included in the external system 620, comprise markuplanguage documents 614 identifying content and including instructionsspecifying formatting or presentation of the identified content.

The social networking system 630 includes one or more computing devicesfor a social network, including a plurality of users, and providingusers of the social network with the ability to communicate and interactwith other users of the social network. In some instances, the socialnetwork can be represented by a graph, i.e., a data structure includingedges and nodes. Other data structures can also be used to represent thesocial network, including but not limited to databases, objects,classes, meta elements, files, or any other data structure. The socialnetworking system 630 may be administered, managed, or controlled by anoperator. The operator of the social networking system 630 may be ahuman being, an automated application, or a series of applications formanaging content, regulating policies, and collecting usage metricswithin the social networking system 630. Any type of operator may beused.

Users may join the social networking system 630 and then add connectionsto any number of other users of the social networking system 630 to whomthey desire to be connected. As used herein, the term “friend” refers toany other user of the social networking system 630 to whom a user hasformed a connection, association, or relationship via the socialnetworking system 630. For example, in an embodiment, if users in thesocial networking system 630 are represented as nodes in the socialgraph, the term “friend” can refer to an edge formed between anddirectly connecting two user nodes.

Connections may be added explicitly by a user or may be automaticallycreated by the social networking system 630 based on commoncharacteristics of the users (e.g., users who are alumni of the sameeducational institution). For example, a first user specifically selectsa particular other user to be a friend. Connections in the socialnetworking system 630 are usually in both directions, but need not be,so the terms “user” and “friend” depend on the frame of reference.Connections between users of the social networking system 630 areusually bilateral (“two-way”), or “mutual,” but connections may also beunilateral, or “one-way.” For example, if Bob and Joe are both users ofthe social networking system 630 and connected to each other, Bob andJoe are each other's connections. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes toconnect to Joe to view data communicated to the social networking system630 by Joe, but Joe does not wish to form a mutual connection, aunilateral connection may be established. The connection between usersmay be a direct connection; however, some embodiments of the socialnetworking system 630 allow the connection to be indirect via one ormore levels of connections or degrees of separation.

In addition to establishing and maintaining connections between usersand allowing interactions between users, the social networking system630 provides users with the ability to take actions on various types ofitems supported by the social networking system 630. These items mayinclude groups or networks (i.e., social networks of people, entities,and concepts) to which users of the social networking system 630 maybelong, events or calendar entries in which a user might be interested,computer-based applications that a user may use via the socialnetworking system 630, transactions that allow users to buy or sellitems via services provided by or through the social networking system630, and interactions with advertisements that a user may perform on oroff the social networking system 630. These are just a few examples ofthe items upon which a user may act on the social networking system 630,and many others are possible. A user may interact with anything that iscapable of being represented in the social networking system 630 or inthe external system 620, separate from the social networking system 630,or coupled to the social networking system 630 via the network 650.

The social networking system 630 is also capable of linking a variety ofentities. For example, the social networking system 630 enables users tointeract with each other as well as external systems 620 or otherentities through an API, a web service, or other communication channels.The social networking system 630 generates and maintains the “socialgraph” comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality ofedges. Each node in the social graph may represent an entity that canact on another node and/or that can be acted on by another node. Thesocial graph may include various types of nodes. Examples of types ofnodes include users, non-person entities, content items, web pages,groups, activities, messages, concepts, and any other things that can berepresented by an object in the social networking system 630. An edgebetween two nodes in the social graph may represent a particular kind ofconnection, or association, between the two nodes, which may result fromnode relationships or from an action that was performed by one of thenodes on the other node. In some cases, the edges between nodes can beweighted. The weight of an edge can represent an attribute associatedwith the edge, such as a strength of the connection or associationbetween nodes. Different types of edges can be provided with differentweights. For example, an edge created when one user “likes” another usermay be given one weight, while an edge created when a user befriendsanother user may be given a different weight.

As an example, when a first user identifies a second user as a friend,an edge in the social graph is generated connecting a node representingthe first user and a second node representing the second user. Asvarious nodes relate or interact with each other, the social networkingsystem 630 modifies edges connecting the various nodes to reflect therelationships and interactions.

The social networking system 630 also includes user-generated content,which enhances a user's interactions with the social networking system630. User-generated content may include anything a user can add, upload,send, or “post” to the social networking system 630. For example, a usercommunicates posts to the social networking system 630 from a userdevice 610. Posts may include data such as status updates or othertextual data, location information, images such as photos, videos,links, music or other similar data and/or media. Content may also beadded to the social networking system 630 by a third party. Content“items” are represented as objects in the social networking system 630.In this way, users of the social networking system 630 are encouraged tocommunicate with each other by posting text and content items of varioustypes of media through various communication channels. Suchcommunication increases the interaction of users with each other andincreases the frequency with which users interact with the socialnetworking system 630.

The social networking system 630 includes a web server 632, an APIrequest server 634, a user profile store 636, a connection store 638, anaction logger 640, an activity log 642, and an authorization server 644.In an embodiment of the invention, the social networking system 630 mayinclude additional, fewer, or different components for variousapplications. Other components, such as network interfaces, securitymechanisms, load balancers, failover servers, management and networkoperations consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure thedetails of the system.

The user profile store 636 maintains information about user accounts,including biographic, demographic, and other types of descriptiveinformation, such as work experience, educational history, hobbies orpreferences, location, and the like that has been declared by users orinferred by the social networking system 630. This information is storedin the user profile store 636 such that each user is uniquelyidentified. The social networking system 630 also stores data describingone or more connections between different users in the connection store638. The connection information may indicate users who have similar orcommon work experience, group memberships, hobbies, or educationalhistory. Additionally, the social networking system 630 includesuser-defined connections between different users, allowing users tospecify their relationships with other users. For example, user-definedconnections allow users to generate relationships with other users thatparallel the users' real-life relationships, such as friends,co-workers, partners, and so forth. Users may select from predefinedtypes of connections, or define their own connection types as needed.Connections with other nodes in the social networking system 630, suchas non-person entities, buckets, cluster centers, images, interests,pages, external systems, concepts, and the like are also stored in theconnection store 638.

The social networking system 630 maintains data about objects with whicha user may interact. To maintain this data, the user profile store 636and the connection store 638 store instances of the corresponding typeof objects maintained by the social networking system 630. Each objecttype has information fields that are suitable for storing informationappropriate to the type of object. For example, the user profile store636 contains data structures with fields suitable for describing auser's account and information related to a user's account. When a newobject of a particular type is created, the social networking system 630initializes a new data structure of the corresponding type, assigns aunique object identifier to it, and begins to add data to the object asneeded. This might occur, for example, when a user becomes a user of thesocial networking system 630, the social networking system 630 generatesa new instance of a user profile in the user profile store 636, assignsa unique identifier to the user account, and begins to populate thefields of the user account with information provided by the user.

The connection store 638 includes data structures suitable fordescribing a user's connections to other users, connections to externalsystems 620 or connections to other entities. The connection store 638may also associate a connection type with a user's connections, whichmay be used in conjunction with the user's privacy setting to regulateaccess to information about the user. In an embodiment of the invention,the user profile store 636 and the connection store 638 may beimplemented as a federated database.

Data stored in the connection store 638, the user profile store 636, andthe activity log 642 enables the social networking system 630 togenerate the social graph that uses nodes to identify various objectsand edges connecting nodes to identify relationships between differentobjects. For example, if a first user establishes a connection with asecond user in the social networking system 630, user accounts of thefirst user and the second user from the user profile store 636 may actas nodes in the social graph. The connection between the first user andthe second user stored by the connection store 638 is an edge betweenthe nodes associated with the first user and the second user. Continuingthis example, the second user may then send the first user a messagewithin the social networking system 630. The action of sending themessage, which may be stored, is another edge between the two nodes inthe social graph representing the first user and the second user.Additionally, the message itself may be identified and included in thesocial graph as another node connected to the nodes representing thefirst user and the second user.

In another example, a first user may tag a second user in an image thatis maintained by the social networking system 630 (or, alternatively, inan image maintained by another system outside of the social networkingsystem 630). The image may itself be represented as a node in the socialnetworking system 630. This tagging action may create edges between thefirst user and the second user as well as create an edge between each ofthe users and the image, which is also a node in the social graph. Inyet another example, if a user confirms attending an event, the user andthe event are nodes obtained from the user profile store 636, where theattendance of the event is an edge between the nodes that may beretrieved from the activity log 642. By generating and maintaining thesocial graph, the social networking system 630 includes data describingmany different types of objects and the interactions and connectionsamong those objects, providing a rich source of socially relevantinformation.

The web server 632 links the social networking system 630 to one or moreuser devices 610 and/or one or more external systems 620 via the network650. The web server 632 serves web pages, as well as other web-relatedcontent, such as Java, JavaScript, Flash, XML, and so forth. The webserver 632 may include a mail server or other messaging functionalityfor receiving and routing messages between the social networking system630 and one or more user devices 610. The messages can be instantmessages, queued messages (e.g., email), text and SMS messages, or anyother suitable messaging format.

The API request server 634 allows one or more external systems 620 anduser devices 610 to call access information from the social networkingsystem 630 by calling one or more API functions. The API request server634 may also allow external systems 620 to send information to thesocial networking system 630 by calling APIs. The external system 620,in one embodiment, sends an API request to the social networking system630 via the network 650, and the API request server 634 receives the APIrequest. The API request server 634 processes the request by calling anAPI associated with the API request to generate an appropriate response,which the API request server 634 communicates to the external system 620via the network 650. For example, responsive to an API request, the APIrequest server 634 collects data associated with a user, such as theuser's connections that have logged into the external system 620, andcommunicates the collected data to the external system 620. In anotherembodiment, the user device 610 communicates with the social networkingsystem 630 via APIs in the same manner as external systems 620.

The action logger 640 is capable of receiving communications from theweb server 632 about user actions on and/or off the social networkingsystem 630. The action logger 640 populates the activity log 642 withinformation about user actions, enabling the social networking system630 to discover various actions taken by its users within the socialnetworking system 630 and outside of the social networking system 630.Any action that a particular user takes with respect to another node onthe social networking system 630 may be associated with each user'saccount, through information maintained in the activity log 642 or in asimilar database or other data repository. Examples of actions taken bya user within the social networking system 630 that are identified andstored may include, for example, adding a connection to another user,sending a message to another user, reading a message from another user,viewing content associated with another user, attending an event postedby another user, posting an image, attempting to post an image, or otheractions interacting with another user or another object. When a usertakes an action within the social networking system 630, the action isrecorded in the activity log 642. In one embodiment, the socialnetworking system 630 maintains the activity log 642 as a database ofentries. When an action is taken within the social networking system630, an entry for the action is added to the activity log 642. Theactivity log 642 may be referred to as an action log.

Additionally, user actions may be associated with concepts and actionsthat occur within an entity outside of the social networking system 630,such as an external system 620 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 630. For example, the action logger 640 may receivedata describing a user's interaction with an external system 620 fromthe web server 632. In this example, the external system 620 reports auser's interaction according to structured actions and objects in thesocial graph.

Other examples of actions where a user interacts with an external system620 include a user expressing an interest in an external system 620 oranother entity, a user posting a comment to the social networking system630 that discusses an external system 620 or a web page 622 a within theexternal system 620, a user posting to the social networking system 630a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or other identifier associated with anexternal system 620, a user attending an event associated with anexternal system 620, or any other action by a user that is related to anexternal system 620. Thus, the activity log 642 may include actionsdescribing interactions between a user of the social networking system630 and an external system 620 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 630.

The authorization server 644 enforces one or more privacy settings ofthe users of the social networking system 630. A privacy setting of auser determines how particular information associated with a user can beshared. The privacy setting comprises the specification of particularinformation associated with a user and the specification of the entityor entities with whom the information can be shared. Examples ofentities with which information can be shared may include other users,applications, external systems 620, or any entity that can potentiallyaccess the information. The information that can be shared by a usercomprises user account information, such as profile photos, phonenumbers associated with the user, user's connections, actions taken bythe user such as adding a connection, changing user profile information,and the like.

The privacy setting specification may be provided at different levels ofgranularity. For example, the privacy setting may identify specificinformation to be shared with other users; the privacy settingidentifies a work phone number or a specific set of related information,such as, personal information including profile photo, home phonenumber, and status. Alternatively, the privacy setting may apply to allthe information associated with the user. The specification of the setof entities that can access particular information can also be specifiedat various levels of granularity. Various sets of entities with whichinformation can be shared may include, for example, all friends of theuser, all friends of friends, all applications, or all external systems620. One embodiment allows the specification of the set of entities tocomprise an enumeration of entities. For example, the user may provide alist of external systems 620 that are allowed to access certaininformation. Another embodiment allows the specification to comprise aset of entities along with exceptions that are not allowed to access theinformation. For example, a user may allow all external systems 620 toaccess the user's work information, but specify a list of externalsystems 620 that are not allowed to access the work information. Certainembodiments call the list of exceptions that are not allowed to accesscertain information a “block list.” External systems 620 belonging to ablock list specified by a user are blocked from accessing theinformation specified in the privacy setting. Various combinations ofgranularity of specification of information, and granularity ofspecification of entities, with which information is shared arepossible. For example, all personal information may be shared withfriends whereas all work information may be shared with friends offriends.

The authorization server 644 contains logic to determine if certaininformation associated with a user can be accessed by a user's friends,external systems 620, and/or other applications and entities. Theexternal system 620 may need authorization from the authorization server644 to access the user's more private and sensitive information, such asthe user's work phone number. Based on the user's privacy settings, theauthorization server 644 determines if another user, the external system620, an application, or another entity is allowed to access informationassociated with the user, including information about actions taken bythe user.

In some embodiments, the social networking system 630 can include a codepersonalization module 646. The code personalization module 646 can beimplemented with the code personalization module 102.

Hardware Implementation

The foregoing processes and features can be implemented by a widevariety of machine and computer system architectures and in a widevariety of network and computing environments. FIG. 7 illustrates anexample of a computer system 700 that may be used to implement one ormore of the embodiments described herein in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The computer system 700 includes sets ofinstructions for causing the computer system 700 to perform theprocesses and features discussed herein. The computer system 700 may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the computer system 700 may operate in the capacity of aserver machine or a client machine in a client-server networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. In an embodiment of the invention, the computersystem 700 may be the social networking system 630, the user device 610,and the external system 720, or a component thereof. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the computer system 700 may be one server among many thatconstitutes all or part of the social networking system 630.

The computer system 700 includes a processor 702, a cache 704, and oneor more executable modules and drivers, stored on a computer-readablemedium, directed to the processes and features described herein.Additionally, the computer system 700 includes a high performanceinput/output (I/O) bus 706 and a standard I/O bus 708. A host bridge 710couples processor 702 to high performance I/O bus 706, whereas I/O busbridge 712 couples the two buses 706 and 708 to each other. A systemmemory 714 and one or more network interfaces 716 couple to highperformance I/O bus 706. The computer system 700 may further includevideo memory and a display device coupled to the video memory (notshown). Mass storage 718 and I/O ports 720 couple to the standard I/Obus 708. The computer system 700 may optionally include a keyboard andpointing device, a display device, or other input/output devices (notshown) coupled to the standard I/O bus 708. Collectively, these elementsare intended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems,including but not limited to computer systems based on thex86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of SantaClara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured byAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as anyother suitable processor.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of the computersystem 700, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Other implementations are possible.

The elements of the computer system 700 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, the network interface 716 provides communicationbetween the computer system 700 and any of a wide range of networks,such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Themass storage 718 provides permanent storage for the data and programminginstructions to perform the above-described processes and featuresimplemented by the respective computing systems identified above,whereas the system memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storagefor the data and programming instructions when executed by the processor702. The I/O ports 720 may be one or more serial and/or parallelcommunication ports that provide communication between additionalperipheral devices, which may be coupled to the computer system 700.

The computer system 700 may include a variety of system architectures,and various components of the computer system 700 may be rearranged. Forexample, the cache 704 may be on-chip with processor 702. Alternatively,the cache 704 and the processor 702 may be packed together as a“processor module”, with processor 702 being referred to as the“processor core”. Furthermore, certain embodiments of the invention mayneither require nor include all of the above components. For example,peripheral devices coupled to the standard I/O bus 708 may couple to thehigh performance I/O bus 706. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of the computer system 700being coupled to the single bus. Moreover, the computer system 700 mayinclude additional components, such as additional processors, storagedevices, or memories.

In general, the processes and features described herein may beimplemented as part of an operating system or a specific application,component, program, object, module, or series of instructions referredto as “programs.” For example, one or more programs may be used toexecute specific processes described herein. The programs typicallycomprise one or more instructions in various memory and storage devicesin the computer system 700 that, when read and executed by one or moreprocessors, cause the computer system 700 to perform operations toexecute the processes and features described herein. The processes andfeatures described herein may be implemented in software, firmware,hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit), or anycombination thereof.

In one implementation, the processes and features described herein areimplemented as a series of executable modules run by the computer system700, individually or collectively in a distributed computingenvironment. The foregoing modules may be realized by hardware,executable modules stored on a computer-readable medium (ormachine-readable medium), or a combination of both. For example, themodules may comprise a plurality or series of instructions to beexecuted by a processor in a hardware system, such as the processor 702.Initially, the series of instructions may be stored on a storage device,such as the mass storage 718. However, the series of instructions can bestored on any suitable computer readable storage medium. Furthermore,the series of instructions need not be stored locally, and could bereceived from a remote storage device, such as a server on a network,via the network interface 716. The instructions are copied from thestorage device, such as the mass storage 718, into the system memory 714and then accessed and executed by the processor 702. In variousimplementations, a module or modules can be executed by a processor ormultiple processors in one or multiple locations, such as multipleservers in a parallel processing environment.

Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices;solid state memories; floppy and other removable disks; hard diskdrives; magnetic media; optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-OnlyMemory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs)); other similarnon-transitory (or transitory), tangible (or non-tangible) storagemedium; or any type of medium suitable for storing, encoding, orcarrying a series of instructions for execution by the computer system700 to perform any one or more of the processes and features describedherein.

For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the description. It will beapparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of thedisclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In someinstances, modules, structures, processes, features, and devices areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description.In other instances, functional block diagrams and flow diagrams areshown to represent data and logic flows. The components of blockdiagrams and flow diagrams (e.g., modules, blocks, structures, devices,features, etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed,reordered, and replaced in a manner other than as expressly describedand depicted herein.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“other embodiments,” “one series of embodiments,” “some embodiments,”“various embodiments,” or the like means that a particular feature,design, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of, for example, the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in anembodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternativeembodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, whetheror not there is express reference to an “embodiment” or the like,various features are described, which may be variously combined andincluded in some embodiments, but also variously omitted in otherembodiments. Similarly, various features are described that may bepreferences or requirements for some embodiments, but not otherembodiments.

The language used herein has been principally selected for readabilityand instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected todelineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is thereforeintended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detaileddescription, but rather by any claims that issue on an application basedhereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the inventionis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of theinvention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:associating, by a computing system, one or more blocks of a scannablecode with one or more corresponding parts of an image; generating, bythe computing system, a personalized scannable code from the scannablecode based on one or more adjusted opacities for the one or more blocksof the scannable code; determining, by the computing system, thepersonalized scannable code to not satisfy a readability threshold; andadjusting, by the computing system, one or more opacities of one or moreblocks of the personalized scannable code.
 2. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the scannable code is a QR code.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the one ormore opacities of the one or more blocks of the personalized scannablecode comprises increasing an opacity of a first block of the blocks ofthe personalized scannable code when the first block is relatively moreimportant than a second block of the blocks of the personalizedscannable code.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, whereinthe adjusting the one or more opacities of the one or more blocks of thepersonalized scannable code further comprises decreasing an opacity ofthe second block.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinthe adjusting the one or more opacities of the one or more blocks of thepersonalized scannable code comprises decreasing an opacity of a firstblock of the blocks of the personalized scannable code when a firstcorresponding part of the one or more corresponding parts of the imageis relatively more important than a second corresponding part of the oneor more corresponding parts of the image.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 5, wherein the adjusting the one or more opacities ofthe one or more blocks of the personalized scannable code furthercomprises increasing an opacity of a second block of the blocks of thepersonalized scannable code.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein a first block of the blocks of the personalized scannablecode relates to at least one of timing, alignment, version information,format information, or a quiet zone.
 8. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein a second block of the blocks of the personalizedscannable code relates to an error correction region.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a first correspondingpart of the one or more corresponding parts of the image relates to atleast one of a face in the image, primary subject matter of the image,an object in the image, or a center of the image.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a second correspondingpart of the one or more corresponding parts of the image relates to anobject positioned along an edge of the image.
 11. A system comprising:at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform:associating one or more blocks of a scannable code with one or morecorresponding parts of an image; generating a personalized scannablecode from the scannable code based on one or more adjusted opacities forthe one or more blocks of the scannable code; determining thepersonalized scannable code to not satisfy a readability threshold; andadjusting one or more opacities of one or more blocks of thepersonalized scannable code.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein thescannable code is a QR code.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein theadjusting the one or more opacities of the one or more blocks of thepersonalized scannable code comprises increasing an opacity of a firstblock of the blocks of the personalized scannable code when the firstblock is relatively more important than a second block of the blocks ofthe personalized scannable code.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein theadjusting the one or more opacities of the one or more blocks of thepersonalized scannable code further comprises decreasing an opacity ofthe second block.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the adjusting theone or more opacities of the one or more blocks of the personalizedscannable code comprises decreasing an opacity of a first block of theblocks of the personalized scannable code when a first correspondingpart of the one or more corresponding parts of the image is relativelymore important than a second corresponding part of the one or morecorresponding parts of the image.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium including instructions that, when executed by at leastone processor of a computing system, cause the computing system toperform a method comprising: associating one or more blocks of ascannable code with one or more corresponding parts of an image;generating a personalized scannable code from the scannable code basedon one or more adjusted opacities for the one or more blocks of thescannable code; determining the personalized scannable code to notsatisfy a readability threshold; and adjusting one or more opacities ofone or more blocks of the personalized scannable code.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein thescannable code is a QR code.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein the adjusting the one or moreopacities of the one or more blocks of the personalized scannable codecomprises increasing an opacity of a first block of the blocks of thepersonalized scannable code when the first block is relatively moreimportant than a second block of the blocks of the personalizedscannable code.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof claim 18, wherein the adjusting the one or more opacities of the oneor more blocks of the personalized scannable code further comprisesdecreasing an opacity of the second block.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the adjusting theone or more opacities of the one or more blocks of the personalizedscannable code comprises decreasing an opacity of a first block of theblocks of the personalized scannable code when a first correspondingpart of the one or more corresponding parts of the image is relativelymore important than a second corresponding part of the one or morecorresponding parts of the image.